Hawaii County Weather Forecast for June 4, 2024: Big Island Now

Hilo

Today: Partly sunny. Scattered showers in the morning, then scattered showers and slight risk of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs around 84 near shore up to 68 to 73 at 4,000 feet. East winds can reach 15 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

This evening: Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Scattered showers. Low around 69 near shore to around 55 to 4000 feet. Northeast winds gust up to 15 mph moving westward after midnight. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Wednesday: Quite sunny. Scattered showers in the morning, then isolated showers in the afternoon. Highs around 85 near shore up to 68 to 74 at 4,000 feet. East winds can reach 10 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Kona

Today: Mostly sunny in the morning, then mostly cloudy with scattered showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs 81 to 86 near shore at around 68 near 5,000 feet. Light winds. Chance of rain 40 percent.

This evening: Mostly cloudy with isolated showers. Low 70 to 76 near shore at around 56 near 5,000 feet. Light winds. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Wednesday: Sunny in the morning, then mostly cloudy with scattered showers in the afternoon. Highs 81 to 86 near shore at around 68 near 5,000 feet. Light winds. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Waimea

Today: Partly sunny. Costs. Isolated showers in the morning, then scattered showers and slight risk of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs around 82 near shore to 68 to 79 near 3000 feet. East winds can reach 20 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.

This evening: Costs. partly cloudy with isolated showers. Low around 69 near shore to 57 to 63 near 3000 feet. East winds can reach 20 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny with isolated showers. Highs around 83 near shore to 68 to 79 near 3000 feet. East winds can reach 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Kohala

Today: Partly sunny. Costs. Isolated showers in the morning, then scattered showers and slight risk of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs around 82 near shore to 68 to 79 near 3000 feet. East winds can reach 20 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.

This evening: Costs. partly cloudy with isolated showers. Low around 69 near shore to 57 to 63 near 3000 feet. East winds can reach 20 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny with isolated showers. Highs around 83 near shore to 68 to 79 near 3000 feet. East winds can reach 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Great South Island

Today: Windy. Mostly sunny in the morning, then mostly cloudy with scattered showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs from around 85 near shore to around 72 near 5,000 feet. East winds can reach 30 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.

This evening: Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Costs. Low around 71 near shore to around 54 near 5000 feet. East winds can reach 25 mph.

Wednesday: Costs. Sunny in the morning, then partly sunny with scattered showers in the afternoon. Highs from around 85 near shore to around 72 near 5,000 feet. East winds can reach 20 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Puna

Today: Partly sunny. Scattered showers in the morning, then scattered showers and slight risk of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs around 84 near shore up to 68 to 73 at 4,000 feet. East winds can reach 15 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

This evening: Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Scattered showers. Low around 69 near shore to around 55 to 4000 feet. Northeast winds gust up to 15 mph moving westward after midnight. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Wednesday: Quite sunny. Scattered showers in the morning, then isolated showers in the afternoon. Highs around 85 near shore up to 68 to 74 at 4,000 feet. East winds can reach 10 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Waikoloa

Today: Mostly sunny in the morning, then mostly cloudy with scattered showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs around 85 near shore to 69 to 75 above 4,000 feet. Northeast winds up to 15 mph moving northwest in the afternoon. Gusts up to 35 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.

This evening: Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Low 71 to 76 near shore to 52 to 59 above 4,000 feet. East winds can reach 15 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny in the morning, then partly sunny with isolated showers in the afternoon. Highs around 85 near shore to 69 to 75 above 4,000 feet. Northeast wind gusts up to 10 mph moving northwest in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Synopsis

Windy trade winds will continue today, before easing on Wednesday and giving way to sea and land breezes on Thursday and Friday. A fairly typical trade wind pattern will continue this morning, with trade wind showers then gradually diminishing through mid-week as a more stable air mass gradually settles overhead. However, some persistent instability could allow a storm to break out in the interior of the Big Island this afternoon. Very dry conditions will extend across the island chain from Thursday into the weekend, significantly limiting shower activity. The return and gradual strengthening of the trade winds could lead to a slight increase in showers at the start of next week.

Discussion

Currently at the surface, a 1,025 mb high centered 950 miles northeast of Honolulu is driving breezy trade winds across the island chain. Infrared satellite imagery shows partly to mostly cloudy conditions, with cloud cover more prevalent over windward and mauka areas. Radar images show isolated to scattered showers affecting windward slopes and coasts, with occasional showers dumping downwind. The main near-term focus revolves around trade wind trends and rain chances.
The high pressure northeast of the islands will remain almost stationary today, slowly weakening as it moves eastward on Wednesday, with the axis of the ridge then moving over or very close to the western islands on Thursday and Friday . Breezy trade winds will persist today, then ease into a moderate range on Wednesday. Winds will ease further and become light and variable over the small islands Thursday and Friday, allowing daytime sea breezes and nighttime land breezes to dominate. Meanwhile, light trading will likely continue in unprotected areas of the Big Island. The axis of the surface ridge is expected to move northward over the weekend into early next week, which is expected to result in a gradual return and strengthening of the trade winds.
As for remaining weather details, isolated to scattered wind showers are expected to prevail this morning, with the trade wind reversal then expected to drop to around 5 kft considerably limiting trade wind showers this afternoon. There remains a slight chance that instability aloft could allow a thunderstorm to also develop over the interior of the Big Island this afternoon.
Rather dry trade wind weather will continue tonight into Wednesday evening as the trade wind reversal remains around 5 kft with most leeward areas receiving no rain. Little change in trade wind reversal height is expected Thursday through the weekend, significantly limiting shower activity across the state. A slight increase in wind showers is possible late this weekend and early next week as the trade winds gradually return and inversion heights begin to slowly increase.

Aviation

Windy to locally strong trade winds will produce weak cigs and SHRA over windward and mauka areas throughout the period. MVFR conds possible in any SHRA. The arrival of high instability favors the possibility of isolated TS on the interior sections and upstream of the Big Island this afternoon.
AIRMET Sierra is in effect for the MTN obsc for the windward sections of the Big Island and N to SE of the Small Islands.
AIRMET Tango for Lee Turb remains in effect.

Marine

A broad high pressure area north of the state will maintain cool to strong trade winds today as a Small Craft Advisory (SCA) remains in effect for all waters around the Big Island and Maui County and some areas around from Oahu and Kauai until this afternoon. The ridge will continue to weaken as the SCA is moved back to the waters around Maui County and the Big Island through tonight. The ridge further erodes and moves southward over the islands from Thursday to Friday, causing a significant reduction in trade or even disruption. The SCA will be completely abandoned by then. Increasing moderate trading is expected over the weekend as the ridge lifts northward.
An active South Pacific will almost certainly continue the long wave of south swells through mid-June. The current south-southwest swell picked up another boost overnight, but just below the high surf advisory criteria. This swell will gradually decrease until Thursday, followed by a south-southwest swell which will strengthen late Thursday and Friday, which will produce waves on the south shore around the seasonal average. As the weekend approaches, larger swells will move across the islands, likely near or meeting the High Surf Advisory (HSA) criterion of 10 feet. Followed by a potentially larger developing swell, which looks increasingly likely to push the surf well above the advisory level late next week.
A small northwest swell continued to build overnight and appears to persist today. Another pulse from the northwest will follow Wednesday and Thursday. The cool to strong trade wind flow produces choppy, choppy seas, but wind waves will diminish significantly after Wednesday, coinciding with light weekend winds.

HFO Monitoring/Warnings/Advice

Small Craft Advisory until 6 p.m. HST tonight for Northwest Kauai Waters, Leeward Waters of Oahu, Kaiwi Channel, Leeward Waters of Maui County and Leeward Waters of Maui County.
Small Craft Advisory until 6 a.m. HST Wednesday for Maalaea Bay, Pailolo Channel, Alenuihaha Channel, Windward Waters of Big Island, Leeward Waters of Big Island, and Southeast Waters of Big Island.

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Data courtesy of NOAA.gov